Pictures Without Borders - Bosnia Revisited
More
than thirty years ago I traveled through Bosnia in a VW Bus
that served as home and darkroom. I found myself deeply drawn
to the Bosnian people, the landscape and the culture.
My first photographs were taken during a time of peace.When
war broke out, I read accounts of violence spreading into towns
and cities where I had walked and photographed. As news reports
worsened, the faces of adults and children from that first trip
haunted my thoughts. I began making prints of old negatives
for a benefit event in my community to help bring war-displaced
Bosnian students to schools in the United States. Printing and
viewing those images had an enormous impact on me, and was the
beginning of my re-connection to Bosnia, and later to Kosovo.
(image left: Sarajevo, 2003)
I
returned in 2003 to a country still recovering from all the
tragedy of war.I brought photographs from the original trip,
along with a film-based cameras and a digital audio recorder.
I also took a simple digital camera with a portable printer,
to make prints for people as I again visited their towns. I
wanted to share the old photographs with those for whom they
would have meaning. And I felt compelled to reach out at a time
when my own country has become more isolated from the international
community. (image above: Sefika, Vernes and friends, Jajce 1970)
The
spirit and resilience of the Bosnian people now compelled my
photographic attention, as well as all they had suffered.I took
many photographs and made audio recordings. The people I met
invited me into their midst, shared coffee, life stories, kindness
and courage. In some cases, I was able to find the very same
people and places I had photographed 33 years ago. (image left:
Sedjad and Sefika, Jajce 2003)
I am currently working on a book about this search for people
and places not forgotten. It is an exploration of the ways that
photography creates a universal language that moves beyond time.The
power of images can connect people across borders and back to
their own threatened place and culture. It’s a story about
war and peace and the deep sustaining nature of the human spirit.
For me, it is a reminder of our common humanity. How do we move
past being strangers in this world? What can link us together
in friendship as other forces try to push us apart? These are
questions that inspired my trip, my photographs, and this project.
For
future updates about the Pictures Without Borders book project
and accompanying exhibitions, correspondence, or to help with
a tax-deductible donation, please visit the project website
(image right: Vernes and Nadja, Jajce 2003)
All images ©Steve Horn 
